Mercy is an angel with a shattered memory, exiled from heaven for a crime she can’t remember committing. So when she ‘wakes’ inside the body and life of eighteen-year-old Lela Neill, Mercy has only limited recall of her past life. Her strongest memories are of Ryan, the mortal boy who’d begun to fall for her – and she for him.
Mercy soon discovers that circumstances have forced Lela into waitressing at the Green Lantern, a busy city café frequented by suits, cab drivers, strippers, backpackers and the homeless, while caring for her terminally ill mother.
Just as Mercy is adjusting to Lela’s life, her beloved, Luc, reappears in her dreams, and she begins to glimpse her true nature and true feelings for Ryan. What she does not know is that her attempts to contact Ryan may have explosive consequences for everyone around her.
Meanwhile, ‘the Eight’ — the angelic beings responsible for her banishment — remain determined to keep Mercy and Luc apart, forever
Rebecca Lim seems to have mastered the art of writing a good but not great book, I felt the same about the first book in the series (Mercy) as I do about this - I didn't dislike it, I got through it quickly, I was captivated, I was enjoying the read, but at the same time I never loved it. I will say that it WAS a step up from the first book in the series.
I felt closer to the characters in this book than the first. Mercy seemed more real, more believable and her narrative didn't waver between mature and immature and seemed realistic for the character, the narration is still beautiful. I give Lim that, the way she weaves words is like an art form and it was a pleasure to read them.
I felt that in the first book i was very confused and it pushed me away, I'm still confused about what is going on, two books into the series. This level of mystery is kind of good, but it's frustrating because I feel like by know I should know more.
The pacing of the book is pretty good throughout, though never so gripping that I couldn't put it down, towards the end it got pretty chaotic and I struggled to keep up with what was going on.
Overall, Exile was an alright read which kept me entertained and had fantastic writing. The issues were with the development of the plot.
Overall Rating: C+
First released in the UK in June 2011 through HarperCollins.
Book bought by myself.
Well, the cover is gorgeous anyway! lol
ReplyDeleteI understand what you are conveying with your 'good-but-not-great-book' thoughts. Sometimes a book will keep me interested enough to complete it, but either the ending turns me away, or it just isn't memorable.
My ideal books are the ones that the story, or the characters (or both) keep me so captivated--I'm disappointed they had to end! LOL
I enjoyed your review, and I'm now a new follower. :)